dirtbagging

Ah, yes. But to dirtbag for just a little while; everyone needs a good dirtbag now and then

Oh, shoot. I forgot to warn you on the extra toppings at Pizza Ala Dumpsters.One night our group of homeless, dirtbagging teens got to our favorite pizza place a little late, and as we were eating the pizza in the dark, someone thought the pizza tasted rank, and soon noticed maggots on it. Seriously! Sometimes you get what you pay for! That was the last time I ate pizza from a dumpster.

I lucked out and got a good severance when I got laid off. I put notice in at my apartment that day, and was on the road for ~10 months.

Tips:
1. Shut down ALL possible expenses, and pay any remaining bills (i.e. car payments, etc) ahead, or from a special account with automatic payments. Make sure that your bill money and your trip money are very separate. True dirtbagging can easily be less than $300/mo total, so trying to setout early before you've paid off the car, credit cards, school loans, etc will be a depressing experience of watching your bank account drain despite your Ramen lifestyle.

2. Stay clean. It's easier to get invited to fire rings and scrounge partners if you look mostly respectable. I'd leave a couple liters of water in an MSR water bag on the dash and almost every evening I'd shower outside my rig in my swim suit. Sure I got lots of wierd looks, but I never got rashes (I have really picky skin thanks to all the northern euro mixed in at the factory), and never got accused of being the source of the stench (except after burrito night).

3. Eat well, but cheap. Fresh veg and cheap cuts of meat (pork steaks and chicken are usually <$2/lb) keep cheap food from getting monotonous.

4. Be willing to climb with almost anybody who won't kill you. I would alternate between nearly guiding some poor noob, to having to hangdog my way up behind some OW freakmaster, and it was all good. If you have too much of an agenda of exact climbs and exact grades you want to climb you just narrow down your partner choices. Thre will be plenty of partners that show up who will be perfect matches to your tick lists, but in-between those just enjoy climbing every day you possibly can.

5. Get a really trusted friend to handle any remaining business issues and act as your permanent address.

6. Have plan B with you. I brought my basic backpacking rig along and used it several times to keep from going stir crazy while resting injuries (pulled shoulder muscle, tweaked finger, etc). Also bring good books. Winters have long nights, and often rain can set in for a few days. Good mental health is key to not wasting gas money moving to a new locale prematurely.

7. Be incognito. Mini-vans and wagons blend in well and can be lived out of. RV's are a major pain, and attract undue attention. Pay your park fees if you have to, or at the least really get to know the ranger schedule if your trying to skip out on them. Tickets and snooping by the ranger can result in stay limits getting enforced more stringently, just for you.

2. Stay clean. It's easier to get invited to fire rings and scrounge partners if you look mostly respectable. I'd leave a couple liters of water in an MSR water bag on the dash and almost every evening I'd shower outside my rig in my swim suit. Sure I got lots of wierd looks, but I never got rashes (I have really picky skin thanks to all the northern euro mixed in at the factory), and never got accused of being the source of the stench (except after burrito night).quote>

that MSR bag thing is an awesome tip for deserts.
We've been dirtbaggin the East all summer, so lakes and rivers were always close-by.

Wal-Mart is the dirtbager's dream. Buy your stuff, return it at the end of the return policy and voilà.

Steve Marcil wrote: Wal-Mart is the dirtbager's dream. Buy your stuff, return it at the end of the return policy and voilà.

Although I agree that Wal-mart is the prefferable place to pull this stunt, I feel that "dirtbag" should not mean "douchebag."

Live cheap, but pay what you owe. The cost of your choice not to work should not be amortized out over the rest of us. It's personal responsibility.

Nate Brown wrote:My suggestion to your dirtbag quest is to examine it as a period of limited time where time is If the goal is to climb a lot, be disciplined. Create a schedule. Don't wait around for the right weather, get it done. Don't succumb to the coffee shop lounging crowd, it will suck much of your life away. Watch out for overuse of controlled substances. Paranoia is the destroyer. Pick your partners carefully; in this regard, I reccomend getting partners who do have jobs. Time constraints can really help a send. One of the best dirtbags of that age was John Varco. He lived like a monk in a shitty minivan, took scheduled rest days, got up early, climbed a ton, never smoked dope, only drank good scotch on rare occasions... Nate Brown

No, for god sake! being a dirtbag is about the lifestyle. If you want to climb as if it were your job then you might as well have a full-time job and train like some lycra clad pendejo.

I recommend smoking as much high quality dope as possible. In fact, any kind of mood altering substance should be consumed without question. Also, a proper dirtbag does not wake up early to climb. Rather, he/she doesn't crack the first post-climb beer of the day until well after dark. Remember that being a dirtbag is about leaving the rat race. Not starting a new one.

Abuse Walmart as much as possible. That place ruins any sense of decent community development known to man.

Have a plan to do something with your time other then climbing that will positively influence your future. You need rest days and a point to life post dirtbagging. A little work towards that will calm the "what am I doing out here" nerves.

put whatever job skills you have to good use. be creative.

camp as much as possible. sleeping in the car just doesn't seem great over a long haul. better to be out under the stars.

visit as many friends as you can or get them to visit you. sure you will meet friends, but you'll want someone you have a history with to share this adventure.

be careful who to trust with your life on the line. true friends won't force or con you into dangerous situations you don't want to be in. not all partners are made from the same mould.

shower and shave regularly....then pray for that girl wandering by looking for a guy with little money, who lives out of his car, has no job, and only has Ramen noodles, beef jerky, and cheap beer for dinner.

or better yet, bring a girl with you. a much better plan then traveling solo. the demand for more creature comforts and the occasional fight is worth it for a continuous supply of conversation, companionship, and sex.

and if you visit Yosemite and don't bum gear, eat leftover foot at the cafeteria, have to sleep in the woods at least once to avoid the rangers, and charm your way into beer/smokes at various campsites - you aren't a true dirtbag and may as well just get a job.

One thing I've learned over the years, If you have to ask how to be a dirtbag then your probably not naturally a DB...But over time it will come to you.

JD Avalanche,

I stated:

If the goal is to be a dirtbag, move in to a car, mooch off others, spend little, spray lots. A climbing bum is still a bum. It used to drive me crazy when I did not have a partner pre-arranged and I had to wait at the coffee shop until noon some times to get a dirtbag to shake off the cobwebs in order to get out on the stone.

You are that guy!!! or at least you profess to be. Please re-read my post. I followed it up with another caveat: "If the goal is to climb a lot..."

I understand that many climbers out there, seems like you included, are more in it for the lifestyle than the climbing. I have no problem with that. I was just trying to give advice to a younger guy who may have the world at his fingertips.

I'm a big proponent of mutual respect. I respect the fact that you like to party. I do too. Can you respect the fact that many climbers out there, myself in this case as well, full time or non are in it for more than, or a different version of, "the lifestyle".

Thanks,

Nate Brown

ps, I was wrong about Jon Varco. Even though he lived in a van and got by on about 5,000 per year, he was more of a climber than he ever was a dirtbag. On that point, if you were calling me a lycra clad pendejo, that is fine. I'd be shocked if you were referring to Varcs. Once a bro, always a bro. Definetly not a bro you would want to fuck with.

N"F'IN"B, i resemble your remarks and i think with all said I'm still amazed of all that a dirtbag can get done even with a hang over, a late start and the whole greater socio-economic system working against them.
It's definitely a lifestyle choice, sort of like a rich suburban kid begging on the streets in protest of conformity.
just remember that we're all in it for our own reasons and goals and experiences.

i wouldn't change a moment of my dirtbag upbringing.

to all aspiring dirtbags: positive attitude, ingenuity, flexibility, and ability to make yourself comfortable in the worst of conditions, keep it simple

what stone monkey fool would say: "My fun is more enlightening that your fun"

JD,

Calm down. I told you that it would be fine for you to call me a pendejo. How much less threateneing can it get?

I was really saying that you might not want to cast dispersions on Jon. Do you know the guy? He is awesome. And a hockey goalie from Minnesota. Should I say more?